Committee Secretariat

Terms of reference

The Resolution of Appointment of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties allows it to inquire into and report upon:

matters arising from treaties and related National Interest Analyses and proposed treaty actions presented or deemed to be presented to the Parliament;

any question relating to a treaty or other international instrument, whether or not negotiated to completion, referred to the committee by:

either House of the Parliament, or

a Minister; and

such other matters as may be referred to the committee by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and on such conditions as the Minister may prescribe.

List of abbreviations

AFP

Australian Federal Police

BCM

Bromochloromethane

Cth

Commonwealth

CITES

Convention on International trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

DEH

Department of the Environment and Heritage

DFAT

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

DoTARS

Department of Transport and Regional Services

ECP

Enhanced Cooperation Program

EPBC Act

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act

EU

European Union

HCFCs

Hydrochloroflourocarbons

IATA

International Air Transport Association

ICAO

International Civil Aviation Organisation

IWC

International Whaling Commission

NGO

Non-Government Organisation

NIA

National Interest Analysis

PGRFA

International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

PNG

Papua New Guinea

RAMSI

Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands

RIS

Regulation Impact Statement

SDR

Special Drawing Right

TAFTA

Australia-Thailand Free Trade Agreement

WTO

World Trade Organisation

List of recommendations

2 Agreement on Bilateral Cooperation between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand

Recommendation 1

The Committee supports the Agreement on Bilateral Cooperation between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand (Canberra, 5 July 2004), and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

3 Termination of the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Slovak Republic on Trade and Economic Cooperation

Recommendation 2

The Committee supports the Termination of the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Slovak Republic on Trade and Economic Cooperation (Canberra, 23 April 1999), and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

4 Enhanced Cooperation Agreement with Papua New Guinea

Recommendation 3

In circumstances where the national interest exemption is invoked the Committee recommends that an urgent briefing by the Minister for Foreign Affairs be provided in addition to the notification it currently receives.

5 Montreal Convention on International Carriage by Air

Recommendation 4

The Committee supports the Montreal Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (Montreal, 28 May 1999) and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

7 Agreement on Social Security between the Government of Australia and the Government of Malta

Recommendation 5

The Committee supports the proposed Agreement on social security between the Government of Australia and the Government of Malta (Valletta, 16 June 2004) and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

8 Beijing Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

Recommendation 6

The Committee supports the Beijing Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Beijing, November 1999) and recommends that binding treaty action be taken.

9 Amendments to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

Recommendation 7

The Committee supports the Amendments, agreed at Bangkok, in October 2004, to Appendices I and II of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora of 3 March 1973.